NFL Hall of Famer Cris Carter spoke for less than two minutes, but his story was a reminder of the magic that happens in Boca Raton.
A participant in this year’s James Hardie™ Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational at Broken Sound, he sat on a panel during the tournament’s media day and shared that it was his move to Boca Raton that made it possible to be in a league of select few football stars.
“I had a very, very troubled social life and wasn’t getting the best out of myself and my agent told me to throw away my cell phone and fly to Boca Raton,” he said. “If you look at my career and Google from 1991 until 2002, you will see that’s the reason why I’m in the Hall of Fame … Coming here, meeting all the people I did here, coming here and fighting my addiction, and now I can say I’m 35 years clean.”
The long-time Boca Raton resident was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2013. In 2023, he joined Florida Atlantic University as its executive director of player engagement. Originally from Ohio, he told Boca magazine how he would break into the local high school football field to train, a tenacious spirit that earned him a spot on the Ohio State Buckeyes football team. He was then drafted into the NFL, playing for the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings and the Miami Dolphins.
During the media day, he also turned to fellow panelist Deputy Mayor Fran Nachlas, who is running for Boca Raton mayor, and reminisced on how their daughters played soccer together and the number of away games their families have traveled.
“This is where I have lived since 1991. I’ve built three homes, I’ve paid my taxes, I’ve had good standing in this community, this is a great place, a lot of good people. This is going to be a great event,” he said.
The James Hardie™ Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational is March 2 to 8 at the Old Course at Broken Sound. For more information, visit jameshardieinvitational.com. Check out our March issue of Boca magazine for our exclusive interview with fellow NFL Hall of Famer Rondé Barber, who is also participating in the tournament.
